


Something Great

by 50_points_for_ravenclaw



Series: Exchange Fics [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, M/M, Mating Bond, Pack Dynamics, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 20:30:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5512139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/50_points_for_ravenclaw/pseuds/50_points_for_ravenclaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Visiting a possible allying pack may be just the push Scott and Stiles need to admit their bond goes beyond just friendship. This whole fake dating thing might complicate things a bit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Great

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NixiNonna88](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NixiNonna88/gifts).



Claudia Stilinski always told her son that a soulmate was special. They were the one person created just for you, made to mix perfectly with everything about you. You didn’t have to be in love with them, or even like them, but you would always need them. In some way. At some point. You would need them. And they would need you, too.

Stiles Stilinski knew from the moment he set eyes on Scott McCall that the little boy building a sandcastle just a few feet away was his soulmate. It was spontaneous—an instant pull that had him stepping into the sandbox and crushing one of Scott’s towers with his little hands (he’d never been the best at making friends). It was so easy to see they were perfect for each other when Scott didn’t even cry.

Stiles never could have thought it would feel that way, though. He’d always imagined it would take a bit of effort to really know his soulmate, from the moment he could understand his mother’s stories about meeting his father.

They’d run into each other at the library where she worked. John dropped his textbooks on her foot and Claudia tried valiantly not to cry while he apologized over and over until she was eventually too fed up and annoyed to even feel the pain. She’d disliked his too good personality, strutting around as if he were better than everyone because he was going to be a cop, a man of the law, a man with integrity. Claudia was a bit of a trouble maker herself, and she couldn’t stand that this random stranger seemed to keep popping up everywhere around her. She hated even more that she felt the same pull toward him that John seemed to feel toward her.

“Just take me on a date or leave me alone!” she’d told him one especially late night while he took his sweet time packing up his books to leave the library.

And so he had. And he took her on another. And another. And another…

But Scott and Stiles. That was something else altogether.

Claudia said more than once she’d never heard a story so romantic and Stiles would make a face every time, all the while shaking his head in denial. Now, he liked to sometimes think that maybe she knew, even at the beginning. She knew how this would all end.

Though he didn’t think she saw it happening quite like this.

 

*****

 

“Can you tell me again why we’re doing this?”

Scott glanced back at Stiles with a raised brow and small smirk. It was his classic ‘you are so adorable and amusing to me’ expression and Stiles hated (loved) it. He regretted ever teaching Scott how to be an asshole.

“Derek told me the best way to create alliances among packs is to pair people from each pack. If we don’t want to be stuck with some random person from the Deshmukh pack for the rest of our lives, this is the way to let them down gently.”

“Can’t we just tell them no?” Stiles questioned.

“And risk a fight?” Scott said incredulously. “I might be an alpha but I can’t take on a whole pack.”

“I’m not completely useless, you know.”

Stiles thought he’d mumbled it quietly enough to let it go unheard by his friend but he was constantly underestimating the strength of werewolf hearing.

“Dude, I know that.” Scott stopped and turned to stare at him with such a sincere expression, Stiles almost felt bad for making the comment. Though the point still stood. “You’re just…you know.”

Stiles stared blankly for a moment before snorting without even a bit of humor and pushing past Scott to jump in his jeep. “Thanks a lot, Scotty.”

“You know what I mean,” Scott said as he slid into the passenger seat, landing far more gracefully than Stiles had. “You’re human. And this is an entire pack of werewolves.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it,” Stiles huffed.

He started the engine, sending out a silent thank you to the universe when it roared to life without a problem, and pulled out of the driveway.

There was no way that Stiles was looking forward to two days in Oregon, tiptoeing around a pack he knew almost nothing about while they negotiated some sort of alliance. Oh, he couldn’t forget the fact that he’d also be pretending to date his best friend. As if this wasn’t torture enough.

“Are you really that bothered by this?” Scott asked after a while of silent driving.

Stiles flicked his blinker on, pulling smoothly onto the interstate.

“The whole situation just has me nervous,” Stiles admitted, licking his lips and adjusting his grip on the wheel. With a glance, he could see Scott nodding at him as if he already knew this. He probably did. He’d been monitoring Stiles’ chemo-signals for years now.

“As long as we’re back in town by Monday morning. I’ve got an exam at 2.”

“Yeah, man. Definitely.”

Scott smiled big and happy. As always, it was radiant. Stiles tried his best not to grumble.

“And, hey! Look at it this way,” Scott tacked on after a moment. “Pretending to date shouldn’t be hard. We could probably do that in our sleep.”

Stiles frowned and looked over at his friend but Scott was simply staring at the radio as he fiddled with the channels.

“I mean, we are soulmates,” he said with a flash of a grin Stiles’ way before he settled on a station and immediately turned the volume up.

Stiles swallowed and smiled weakly in return. At least there was that.

 

*****

 

“Yeah, we’re almost there.”

Stiles fidgeted in his seat, wincing when the muscles in his neck twinged painfully. He really hated long distance driving.

“Okay. I’ll let you know when we get there,” Scott continued with an amused smile

Stiles raised his brows as Scott finished his conversation and slipped his phone back in his pocket.

“Lydia?”

“She hates this whole thing probably more than you.”

Stiles chuckled, shaking his head. He knew very well just how much Lydia hated this whole thing. She’d berated him for ever agreeing to the ‘we’re pretending to date in order not to offend the Deshmukh pack’ plan for almost a straight hour. There had been a lot of angry sighs and hair flipping while Stiles pretended not to cower under Lydia’s very intense glare. The sheriff walked in at one point. Instead of answering Stiles’ desperate glances, he chuckled and left just as quickly as he’d arrived. Sometimes Stiles really hated his dad.

“Believe me. I know,” Stiles said.

“You know how much longer?”

“GPS says we’re 30 minutes out.”

Stiles took a deep breathe, hoping his long exhale was discreet enough to avoid attention. The closer they got to their destination, the more his body buzzed with nerves—knee jumping, fingers shaking, heart beating just that little bit faster. The anxiety had yet to gain Scott’s attention, at least in any sort of worrisome way, but Stiles didn’t think it would take much longer as his thoughts wandered farther and farther into the danger zone.

What would it be like to be so purposely tactile with Scott? They’d always been comfortable with touch—easily hugging or bumping shoulders, reassuring hands on arms and backs, helping each other tie their ties—but Stiles was not prepared to amp that up in a romantic display. It was everything he’d wanted for such a long time but none of it would be real. And what if he had to kiss Scott?

“Hey, man.”

Stiles jerked his head a bit, glancing quickly at Scott’s concerned expression.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just nervous.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?” Scott asked slowly. “If you’re uncomfortable with this we can figure something else out…”

“What else are we going to do that won’t end in some super werewolf throw down—which we would lose by the way? No it’s good. Just kind of weird,” Stiles sighed.

He ran his fingers through the longer strands of hair tangled at the top of his head. He was probably ruining his carefully styled ‘bed-head’ look but at this point he couldn’t really bring himself to care all that much.

“It shouldn’t be too hard. We just have to stand close to each other and stuff,” Scott said with a shrug.

Stiles frowned. “Scott…we’re going to have to do more than that. If we want to make it convincing.”

“We already smell like each other,” Scott argued. “We actually sort of have our own combined scent. Perks of being buddies for so long.”

Stiles fought off a smile.

“And we’re soulmates. I think that’ll be enough honestly. We just avoid saying anything too outright about it so they can’t listen to our heartbeats and we should be fine.”

“Okay…so what’s the story? Just in case.” Stiles asked.

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Scott turned to frown at him.

“Story?”

“Yeah, you know. Our story.”

“I mean, I figured it would just be the truth. We grew up as best friends. Found out we were soulmates when we were kids. ”

Stiles made a face at that.

“Yeah, but how did we start dating? Did I ask you out? Did we just sort of turn into…boyfriends,” he said, clearing his throat awkwardly around the last word. This was going to be so weird.

“I thought we weren’t getting specific? To avoid catching us in a lie.”

“Well yeah but—”

Born to be Wiiiiiiiild!

Scott jumped as his phone blared Steffenwolf and when he saw Derek’s name flashing across the screen, he gave Stiles a dry look.

“Really, Stiles?”

“What? It’s poetic,” Stiles grinned, trying his hardest to hold in his chuckles as the song continued.

Scott shook his head as if annoyed but the small twitch at the corner of his lips said differently. Stiles smirked with the success.

“Hey, Derek.”

“Are you guys really going to ‘fake date’?” he said without preamble.

They rolled their eyes in tandem at Derek’s tone but Stiles couldn’t help the small feeling of doubt he’d been hiding since they first discussed the idea. Derek of course had completely different reasons for his—Stiles still embraced the comradery.

“You told me they would try to arrange something,” Scott protested.

There was a long drawn out sigh and Stiles could just picture Derek performing his ‘I’m going to slowly blink my eyes and breathe very heavily through my nose to show you just how irritated I am with you’ act. It was almost amusing if he didn’t automatically bristle every time the man did it.

“Hey!” he exclaimed, jumping to Scott’s rescue, “it’s a great idea alright. No one will have to get offended and it’ll be a piece of cake for us anyways—right, Scotty?”

Scott grinned at him in thanks. Stiles tried not to show just how much he didn’t believe what he was saying.

“You guys are idiots,” Derek muttered.

“Oh, sorry Derek. We’re here. Gotta go!”

Scott hurriedly hung up the phone and stuffed it back in his pocket while Stiles sent a raised brow his direction. The alpha shrugged.

“I saw a sign,” he said in defense.

Glancing at the GPS, Stiles saw that they were in fact only a few miles away from their exit.

“You’re going to regret that when we get back.”

“Yeah, probably.”

 

*****

Stiles wanted to cry. The house they pulled up to was actually not a house at all. It was a mansion. Tall, wide, long, and every other big dimension you could think of, the Deshmukh pack home stood at the top of a hill (but of course), a stark white color with minimal eccentricities and large Roman columns supporting the roof over a porch the size of Stiles’ entire house back in Beacon Hills. He felt inadequate just pulling up to the gate.

He glanced at Scott nervously when he saw the camera at the gate. These guys did not mess around.

“Do we need to, like…tell them we’re here?” Scott mumbled, eyebrows so high they just brushed his hairline.

“How?”

Before either could think up an idea, the gates groaned, a loud, deep click echoing through the air before the wrought iron doors began to swing inward. Scott and Stiles shrugged at each other and Stiles pulled forward.

“Did Derek tell you these guys were as rich as Donald Trump times ten?” Stiles whispered, unsure if there would be prying ears.

Scott shook his head, paused for a moment and then turned red (or more accurately—a darker shade of tan) as he choked out a small laugh.

“What?” Stiles hissed.

A woman stepped out onto the porch, dressed as anyone could expect of someone living in a place like this. Her heels were sky high, her pencil skirt wrinkle free and her blouse fitted perfectly to her figure. She also happened to have a mischievous smirk to rival both Lydia Martin and Erica Reyes and it was painted their same favored shade of ‘the blood of my enemies’ red. Stiles gulped.

When they stepped out of the car, the woman glided down the stairs without taking her eyes off them and Stiles found himself wondering not for the first time how women did those kinds of things.

“I said,” she spoke up as soon as she was close enough to be heard, “at least compare us to someone a little less deplorable, like maybe the Kardashians.”

Stiles blinked and then chuckled belatedly. If anything, that seemed to just make her smirk stretch.

“My name is Maya,” she said, her voice smooth and controlled.

Scott cleared his throat and stepped forward.

“I’m Scott McCall. This is my second and emissary, Stiles Stilinski.”

“Uh—emissary in training,” Stiles added with a half-hearted smile.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Alpha McCall. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Maya said with a genuine smile and Scott bit his lip bashfully.

“Scotty isn’t one to brag but you don’t get to be a True Alpha for nothing, right?” Stiles said, throwing an arm around Scott’s shoulders and jostling him a bit.

“Right,” Maya agreed. “Alpha Deshmukh is inside. She is excited to meet you two.”

Without another word, she was striding back inside leaving Scott and Stiles to scurry after her.

Walking into the foyer was like a dream and a nightmare mixed in one. While Stiles didn’t think he would ever experience anything so lavish and beautiful ever again, he felt incredibly out of place in his old jeans and flannel/t-shirt combo. Scott didn’t look to be fairing much better if his twitchy expression was anything to go by.

“This way,” Maya gestured from the end of the hall.

They sighed softly in relief when they entered a simple enough sitting room, filled with comfortable looking furniture and a soothing atmosphere stemming from the low lighting and stone framed fireplace. Then they noticed the small cluster of people—werewolves—across from them and tensed back up.

“Please. Sit,” Maya offered with a hand held toward one of the brown couches.

They did as told. Stiles frowned when Scott sat close, bodies touching from knee to shoulder until he remembered they were supposed to be playing a part. It was a subtle move but one Maya noticed as she watched Scott’s fingers brush Stiles’ knee.

“Alpha Deshmukh,” Scott said. He lowered his chin just enough to be respectful and Stiles followed.

“Call me Kuljeet, Alpha McCall.”

“Call me Scott,” he shot back with a smile.

Stiles looked up at the alpha for the first time, just catching sight of her amused smile. She was older than he expected, one could say elderly, but she sat with her back straight and shoulders set. Her hair was long and free flowing, gray speckled with streaks of its once black color, and her face was wrinkled in a youthful way, the dark skin around her eyes and lips displaying a history of happiness. Kuljeet was everything Stiles could imagine a traditional alpha to be.

He decided he kind of liked her.

“It is nice to see you in high spirits,” she began. Her voice was quiet but deep, a bit raspy, and still very powerful. “After everything that has happened in Beacon Hills, it must be hard to move past it all.”

Stiles tried his best not to flinch at that but as always Scott noticed his distress over the comment. He reached over to take Stiles’ hand in his, lacing their fingers as he shared an encouraging smile.

“It has been hard,” Scott agreed. “But we’ve figured out that staying together helps.”

Kuljeet smiled. “Then you are on your way to being a great alpha.”

Stiles nodded along and she sent him a small grin.

“As all True Alphas are,” Kuljeet continued, standing from her own couch.

A young girl stepped forward to hand her a cane, wooden with red decorations painted in swirling patterns all along its length. “This is my granddaughter Amala. Maya’s daughter. She is the youngest of our pack.”

Scott kneeled before the little girl with a gentle gaze as she shied away from him. He held out a hand patiently until she took it and then he shook.

“It’s nice to meet you, Amala. My name is Scott,” he said quietly as Stiles watched. “That’s Stiles over there.” Stiles waved. “He’s my second.”

“But he’s human,” the girl blurted before her eyes widened and she pulled away again.

Scott simply chuckled at her, not noticing when Stiles’ heart stuttered a bit at the sound.

“He is. But he’s very strong. Almost as strong as us.”

Amala frowned, her full dark brows pulling together tight at the bridge of her nose, almost enough to shadow her eyes completely. “How?”

Stiles would have been offended at her utter disbelief if she wasn’t so cute. Scott seemed to find it funny though because he laughed and sent him a look over his shoulder.

“Maybe not physically. But he can hold his own. And he’s strong up here,” Scott explained, tapping his temple. “He’s my emissary.”

“And your soulmate.”

Scott and Stiles turned to Maya who was watching them closely though her strict gaze softened some when she realized she’d caught their attention. Stiles laughed a little awkwardly, rubbing a hand across his neck.

“Uh, yeah.”

Kuljeet moved then. “Come. There are more of my pack you must meet.”

As Maya and Amala followed her out of the room, the little girl’s eyes stuck on Scott with wonder while her mother pulled her by the hand, Stiles and Scott glanced at each other a bit unsure. Had Stiles been a little too awkward about that question? He thought they’d been doing well with their subtle gestures (well, Scott had been) but he might have just messed up the whole thing.

At least they hadn’t declared anything up front so they couldn’t get caught in a lie.

The backyard to the Deshmukh mansion was just as large and spacious as the mansion itself. There was a wide patio with ornate tiling and more columns supporting a low wooden ceiling. The entire area was littered with vines and small aromatic flowers as well as a collection of comfortable matching furniture, displaying natural green cushions and ivory accents, and silky curtains draped at every turn.

Beyond, Stiles could see a field of grass that quickly melted into a garden, framed by trimmed hedges of healthy green leaves and even more flowers. He had to wonder whether the smell was ever too overpowering but the thought quickly fled when he caught Scott lifting his nose just the slightest and inhaling deeply, a small dopey smile crossing his face. He refrained himself from making any dog jokes.

“My son tends to the garden. He has quite the green thumb,” Kuljeet spoke up from where she stood next to a wooden support beam at the edge of the patio. “I think he only wants to get away from all the ruckus. He’s always been quiet.”

Maya snorted inelegantly at that. It was a bit of a relief to watch her act more casual. Stiles had been afraid she might remain stiff and just that little bit of awkward around them.

“It’s beautiful,” Scott breathed and Stiles hummed in consensus.

“Thank you.”

A man was just stepping over to the patio, pulling thick gardening gloves from his fingers with grace.

“And I heard that, Bebe,” he stated teasingly with a narrowed glance at Kuljeet. She smiled at him contentedly. “My name is Kanan.”

Scott and Stiles shook his offered hand before Stiles realized that Kanan had been the first person he’d actually greeted that way. Werewolves didn’t seem keen on touch with strangers so the fact that Kanan had decided on a handshake was intriguing.

“I’m human,” the man himself spoke up, eyeing Stiles knowingly. “As was my father.”

Kuljeet bowed her head for a long moment.

“My wife is a werewolf, though. She’s out right now with our daughter, grocery shopping. She’s making her world famous tandoori chicken tonight. I’m sure you’ll love it. Everyone does.”

“Oh you didn’t have to plan anything complicated—” Scott started.

“You are a guest,” Kuljeet interrupted. “And you should be treated as such.”

Stiles jerked his brows in pleasant surprise. He wasn’t going to complain about great (and free) food.

“You have to tell me more about your pack, Scott,” Kanan said eagerly. “You are quite the collection.”

Scott laughed, guiding Kanan away as he went on to describe Malia.

“You and Alpha McCall are very close.”

Stiles jumped in surprise, pulling his eyes away from where they had been glued to Scott’s happy expression. He cleared his throat in hopes of covering up his embarrassment as his cheeks flooded with bright color (he’d always hated how much more pronounced his blush was than Scott’s).

“Uh, yeah. We’ve been friends since we were four,” Stiles said, turning toward Maya. The same intense look from before was back swimming in her eyes. He found himself fidgeting under her gaze despite himself.

“Friends,” she said slowly.

“Best friends,” Stiles corrected and then added as an afterthought, “among other things.”

“Twenty years is a long time,” Maya said, nodding her head absentmindedly. “I thought you two might have been too young to have already established the mating bond but perhaps I was wrong. You are very well suited for each other.”

Stiles breathed a laugh, eyes widening as he floundered for what to say. What the hell was she talking about?

“Soulmates make some of the strongest bonds.”

“Um, yeah. That…makes sense,” Stiles muttered.

“My mother and father were soulmates as well. You and your alpha remind me of them.”

“What happened to your dad?” Stiles asked before he could really think over just how horrible a question that was.

Maya didn’t seem offended though, luckily enough. She simply sighed, turning her head to stare out over the gardens. “Old age. He wasn’t like my mother. He was human and his body just couldn’t hold on.”

“I’m sorry,” Stiles said around a wince.

He’d always hated when people apologized to him after his mom died. It wasn’t their faults and apologizing for something out of everyone’s control wasn’t going to change anything. Whenever he was faced with a similar situation, though, he could never think of another thing to say.

“It was years ago. My mother is different now though,” Maya stated with a glance toward Kuljeet standing still at the edge of the patio. “The bond is strong. It connects mates on a spiritual level. When one half of the bond is broken, it leaves the other half devastated.”

“If you…what ‘bond’ are you talking about? I’ve never heard of a soulmate bond,” Stiles asked hesitantly.

Maya frowned at him, narrowing her eyes in consideration. “You mean you and Alpha McCall have not…?”

“Have what?”

“You have not embraced the mating bond?”

“I’m not sure what that is honestly.”

Silence fell between them. Now more than ever Stiles felt overwhelmed in the presence of one of the Deshmukh pack.

“Are you in love with him?” Maya asked as if the answer should be obvious.

Stiles gulped, watching Kanan show Scott a flower bud just beginning to blossom, petals of white and yellow emerging and brushing Scott’s tan fingers tips. The alpha smiled brilliantly as Kanan talked, nodding along.

“Yeah. Yeah I am,” Stiles said, finally. And his heart didn’t skip a beat.

Maya turned away with a satisfied smirk. “Then you will know the mating bond when it happens. You are already halfway there.”

 

*****

 

“Sahnia, this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” Scott said around a mouthful of chicken, manners forgotten in the wake of delicious food.

Stiles nodded, too busy eating to get a word out. Kanan was watching them with an amused expression, though the twinkle in his eyes said he understood very well just what bliss they were experiencing. Sahnia herself remained bashful, lowering her chin with a pleased smile.

“Thank you, Alpha McCall. I’m glad you think so,” she responded politely.

“Oh, you can call me Scott. I’m not really used to the whole title thing to be honest.”

Everyone at the table chuckled, even Kuljeet. While more traditional than Scott and Stiles were used to, the Deshmukh pack were more laidback than they’d expected. It felt nice to be able to let their guard down just a little.

“Oh, hey. You have some…” Scott trailed off, picking up a napkin and swiping it across Stiles’ cheek with a grin.

“Uh, thanks dude,” Stiles said, stuck blinking for a moment.

“They’re kind of sickening, aren’t they?”

“Nizel. Manners,” Kanan said pointedly to his daughter. The teen rolled her eyes but stayed quiet.

Meanwhile, Stiles tried to keep his face from lighting up for the umpteenth time. It was hard to convince everyone they were an item when he couldn’t keep from blushing every time someone mentioned it.

“Have you two spoken of marriage at all?” Kuljeet asked casually and Stiles tried his hardest not to choke on his mouthful of rice.

“Bebe. That seems a bit personal,” Kanan spoke up.

“Not at all. My father spoke to all visiting packs about marriage ties,” Kuljeet argued.

“We haven’t really talked about it,” Scott said, finally. “Stiles is still in college and I’m still looking for a steady job. It wouldn’t be a good idea right now.”

“Oh it is never a bad time for marriage,” Kuljeet tsked. “You are grown for your age. I think you could handle it just fine.”

Stiles smiled weakly and Scott sent him a concerned glance. When he glanced Maya’s way, Stiles wasn’t surprised to see her smirking again. He hadn’t thought he’d done a good job of convincing her earlier and this conversation probably was not helping at all.

“My nephew is coming of age now,” Kuljeet said. “We are beginning to look for suitors for him. He is a very picky boy.” She really was not subtle at all. “The mating bond is picky, though.”

“The mating bond?” Scott asked, curiously. Stiles only just refrained from groaning in despair.

“Of course,” Kuljeet said, surprise evident in her tone. “You and your mate are not bonded?”

“Um…” For the first time, Scott was in Stiles shoes, at a loss for words and beginning to panic some.

“He’s not a born wolf, Bebe,” Kanan swooped in. “He probably doesn’t even know of the bond.”

Maya’s smirk only grew. Stiles gulped. It was getting harder and harder to continue eating when he had such a sizable lump in his throat.

“What’s a mating bond?” Scott asked.

“It’s exactly how it sounds,” Maya said. “It’s a bond of mutual respect and recognition between a werewolf and their mate, whether that be another werewolf or even a human.”

Stiles valiantly ignored the pointed look she sent him and took a large bite of chicken. He could see Scott’s eyes go wide from his peripheral but he didn’t chance turning in that direction for fear of seeing something he really did not want to see in Scott’s expression.

As Maya had said earlier, Scott and Stiles were already halfway there to a mating bond and Stiles knew it wasn’t because of Scott.

“Soulmates make some of the strongest mating bonds,” Sahnia piped up. She grinned at Kanan, that special twinkle in her eye that told everyone she was deeply in love. “Kanan and I have been mates for years.”

“Oh, well—we…” Scott fumbled for something to say.

“You guys are scaring him,” Nizel said with clear amusement.

“They are still young. They still have time,” Kuljeet stated resolutely and that seemed to be that. Despite the awkwardness of that parting comment, Stiles was glad when Sahnia asked Scott if it was really true that Derek could shift into a full wolf.

He could see Scott trying to shake himself off from the conversation. A feeling of dread grew deep in his stomach from the thought of what Scott might say later when they were alone, what he might know now or what he might want to discuss.

Stiles was okay with how they were. He was in love with Scott. He could admit that…to himself at least. But the idea of admitting it to anyone else—especially to Scott—made him want to hide away under his sheets forever. There was no way of knowing how it might affect their relationship or even the pack. He didn’t think he could handle being the reason either of those things fell apart.

 

*****

 

After dinner, they finally got around to negotiations. Kuljeet and Maya sat with them in the same sitting room as before as they talked, alpha to alpha, second to second. There wasn’t much to it other than establishing that they had an alliance now and would help each other in times of need. It was all a lot more casual than Derek had made it out to be. Perhaps that was just because Kuljeet seemed to like them.

By the time they were finished talking, spending hours sharing stories and knowledge the others didn’t yet know, it was late enough for everyone to disperse into their bedrooms. Sahnia showed them the guest bedroom where they settled, dropping the duffel bags they’d retrieved from the jeep haphazardly onto the floor.

Stiles groaned as he fell face first on the bed.

“Tired?” Scott asked.

Stiles groaned again. Scott laughed softly and Stiles turned his head just in time to see the alpha slip his shirt over his head. Of course, this wasn’t the first time he’d seen Scott this way—it wasn’t even the hundredth—but with all the revelations made today, he could do without the reminder that his best friend was sort of really hot. And Scott taking off his pants to stand in nothing but boxers was testing his limits.

“Dude, scoot over,” Scott mumbled, shoving his way onto the bed.

Stiles rolled at the insistence of Scott’s pushes until he was on his side at the edge of the bed, watching Scott get comfortable. Scott turned to face him with a grin.

“This was a lot easier than I was expecting,” he said quietly.

Stiles hummed in agreement. He was still in his jeans and shoes but he couldn’t bring himself to stand and take them off. The bed was far too comfortable for him to move now. Scott rolled his eyes though as Stiles blinked sleepily at him.

“We didn’t even do that much today.”

“I drove here,” Stiles protested around a yawn.

“Have you been sleeping okay lately?” Scott asked a bit more seriously.

Now Stiles rolled his eyes. “Yes. I’ve been sleeping fine. I haven’t had problems since undergrad.”

“I know. I just…” Scott trailed off, biting his lip. Stiles refused to stare.

“You what?” he breathed.

“I worry,” Scott said, shrugging best he could in his position.

“You don’t need to, bro. I’m just dandy.”

Scott’s brow pulled together, deep wrinkles developing on his forehead with the expression. His eyes were suddenly more alert, watching Stiles closely.

“What?” Stiles asked, self-consciously.

“Your heart,” Scott murmured. “You were lying.”

Stiles swallowed, licking his lips before huffing out a forced laugh.

“What’s wrong?” Scott asked before he could get a word out.

Stiles shut his mouth with a small ‘clack’, gaze falling to the sheets beneath his cheek. He traced the floral pattern with a fingertip, avoiding the question altogether. He couldn’t just tell Scott how he felt.

“Stiles…” Scott whispered.

His hand found its way to Stiles’ arm, just grazing the skin beneath his sleeve before Stiles rolled onto his back, shying away from the touch. It was something he was used to from Scott, casual gentle touches like that. He’d always done it. But Stiles couldn’t really handle that right now. It was less comforting than usual—instead making him feel worse about this whole thing than it usually did.

“It’s nothing, Scott,” Stiles said so quiet, he could barely even hear himself.

The answer didn’t satisfy Scott though, his expression only growing more worried.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Scott persisted.

“Scott, just—”

“You know I’m not going to drop it.”

Stiles sighed heavily. Yeah he knew that. Scott could be really stubborn when he wanted to.

“Is it the mating bond thing?” Scott asked softly. “Just because we’re soulmates doesn’t mean we have to be mates, too.”

Stiles flinched involuntarily at that. Unfortunately, Scott noticed.

“It is about that?”

“Not how you think,” Stiles mumbled.

Scott stayed silent for a long moment, long enough to have Stiles fidgeting again. He wasn’t feeling so tired anymore and he wanted nothing more now than to stand up and pace.

“You…want to be mates?” Scott said hesitantly.

Stiles felt his heart picking up speed. He knew Scott could hear but there wasn’t much he could do about it anyways so he remained frozen, finger pressing into the mattress as it ceased its tracing movements.

“Stiles, why—why haven’t you said anything before?”

“It’s nothing, okay? Let’s just pretend this conversation never happened.”

Stiles slid off the bed, turning his back to Scott as he slid his flannel off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor without a sound. The room was eerily quiet except for the rustle of sheets as Scott moved around on the bed. He didn’t have the guts to turn around and face his friend at the moment though so he sat on the very very edge of the mattress and began to untie his Adidas.

It wasn’t much longer before Scott moved to sit next to him, close enough that Stiles could feel the heat of his skin in the narrow strip of air between them. Stiles kicked off his shoes, leaning back to rest with his hands hanging loosely in his lap. Scott reached for one, intertwining their fingers slowly, giving him the option to pull away. Instead, Stiles clutched at his hand, a little desperately.

He’d take anything he could get.

“I can’t pretend this didn’t happen,” Scott said finally.

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Stiles sighed.

“You’re my best friend,” Scott said, as if that fixed everything, “and my second. We’re stuck with each other forever.”

Stiles managed a laugh at that.

“And…and we could add mates to that, too,” Scott continued, nervously. “If you wanted.”

Stiles jerked, almost dislodging his hand from Scott’s though he tightened his grip when he realized just what the alpha had said. He stared incredulously at Scott who returned his gaze with apprehension.

“But maybe…boyfriends first?” Scott added.

Stiles nodded dumbly at that and Scott grinned.

“You really want to date me?” Stiles blurted.

“Well, we are soulmates,” Scott reasoned with an amused smirk.

Stiles laughed for real this time, shoving at his friend’s shoulders. Scott didn’t even budge. Instead he leaned closer and Stiles quickly sobered up. Their foreheads were just a hair’s breadth away from each other and Scott closed the distance, pressing them firmly together.

“Scott…” Stiles breathed.

Scot smiled without answer and then he moved forward that small bit more until their lips were meeting. Stiles’ free hand immediately shot out to steady himself with Scott’s shoulders, fingers digging into the muscle there as they moved together. It was surprisingly comfortable and easy, more so then any first kiss he’d ever had. Then again, they’d had years of practice being tactile with each other.

When they pulled back, Stiles took a long slow breath. He could already tell, this was going to be a good thing.

Scott leaned in again to kiss him through a smile.

Yeah. A really good thing.

 

*****

 

Stiles stood on the patio, smiling as he watched Scott play with Amala out near the garden. She chased the alpha down and jumped onto his back where Scott took hold of her legs and ran with her piggyback. All the while, the little girl laughed happily.

“She’s never going to let him go long enough for you to go home.” Maya joined him with a grin of her own. “He’s good with her.”

“Yeah. He’s always been great with kids,” Stiles said.

“That bodes well for your future.”

Stiles ducked his head with another unmistakable blush.

“I see you worked things out,” she went on and Stiles turned to her in surprise.

“Wha—”

“My mother would not have arranged anything either way.”

Stiles laughed awkwardly, rubbing at his neck while shifting around on his feet. The afternoon sun shining on Maya’s face made her amusement at his expense very clear and he felt incredibly naïve for thinking they could ever fool her. Or any of them. They probably all knew.

“Did Kuljeet say something?” he asked. She raised a brow and he backtracked. “Um, Alpha Deshmukh. Sorry.”

Maya chuckled, crossing her arms and leaning against a support beam to stare out over the backyard again.

“I figured it out on my own. She was very amused by you two. She doesn’t know why you were acting, though.”

“And you do?”

“You reeked of anxiety when she mentioned marriage.”

Stiles jerked his brows in accord. He’d always been too obvious with his emotions, no matter how hard he tried not to be.

“I wish you the best. You and alpha McCall are a fitting match,” Maya said with a respectful nod.

He tried to bite back his smile but he wasn’t very successful. He managed to nod back just as Scott was walking back up to them with Amala’s hand held in his.

“Hey, man. Are you ready to go?” he said. “We have dinner with mom and dad tonight.”

Stiles glanced at Maya, who smiled at him, a real genuine smile that dimpled her cheeks and crinkled the corners of her eyes. She gathered Amala into her arms, settling her daughter on her hip with a kiss to her small nose.

“Yeah,” Stiles answered finally. “Yeah, let’s head out.”

They found Kuljeet in the sitting room, sitting with an small cup of tea as she spoke with Kanan and Sahnia lightly. She rose as they entered, and Scott grinned at the gesture of respect.

“You are leaving then?” she asked.

“Yeah, we have dinner plans and the drive is a few hours,” Scott said.

“It was lovely having you two,” Sahnia said and she stood, walking over to kiss them both on the cheek. “Your pack is lucky to have an alpha and second like you.”

“I look forward to hearing many more great things about the McCall pack,” Kanan added, shaking their hands.

Scott laughed self-consciously while Stiles nudged him in the shoulder.

“And a long standing alliance!” Stiles announced.

“We would be proud to hold an alliance with you,” Kuljeet said.

“So would we,” Scott said back.

They wished the Deshmukh pack farewell as they stepped outside onto the wide front porch. The jeep was waiting for them in the driveway and they threw their duffle bags into the back, turning to wave at the group assembled on the front steps. And then they were off.

They were quiet as they pulled onto the interstate, easily merging with the little amounts of traffic. Just as Stiles was settling in for the drive, he felt fingers brush his over the stick shift. Glancing toward the passenger seat, he caught Scott slowly moving until their hands were clasped, a small pleased smile on his face when Stiles adjusted his grip so their hands lined up better.

Warmth spread from his fingertips to his chest, just under his ribs, and his skin flushed all over there with happiness. It was something he’d been feeling for a while whenever Scott bumped his shoulder or punched him in the arm but something about it was different now. Now, he didn’t have to hide the way Scott made him feel. Now they were on the same page.

He tightened his hold, his own smile blossoming at the feeling of Scott’s skin against his.

They were more than halfway there.

**Author's Note:**

> Have a Merry Christmas lovely! (:


End file.
